Grey Skies Over the Horizon
by MystiiriousAbnormality
Summary: As Harry finishes up his third year at Hogwarts, he's left to think over quite a few things during his summer break. As he begins to distance himself from one of his closest friends, he discovers that he has been held back during his wizarding education; and not by just one person.
1. Homecoming

**So... Even though there seems to be some interest in the trial story I posted the other day, _Bound Together_ , I couldn't get this idea out of my head. I decided to go forward with it, and I've really enjoyed writing it so far. I will continue _Bound Together_ , I just can't give you a timeframe concerning updates for it. This story, however, I would like to update on a fairly regular basis; ideally once every or every other week (I'm sorry, I just can't write a chapter a day for you people...).**

 **I intend this story to be rather lengthy, so I will try my best to keep the updates regular so it doesn't take years to finish.  
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 **Warning!:** **This story WILL contain Dumbledore, Ron and Molly bashing (potentially Ginny, but I've yet to decide on this just yet). If you like any of these characters, then I am sorry, but this story most likely won't be to your liking.**

 **Anyway, I really do hope you enjoy this story!**

 **All Encompassing Story Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter Universe!**

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 **Grey Skies Over the Horizon**

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 **Homecoming**

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The end of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry couldn't come any sooner. In his opinion, it had been his worst year so far. Now that he thought about it, every year at Hogwarts seemed to be worse than the last. Well, last year had come close to being as bad as this year.

In his third year, multiple attacks, mainly due to the Dementors, and a number of near-death experiences didn't help his mood throughout the year. But, he could deal with them. Somewhat...

On top of that, he had learned of his Godfather and the fact that he was innocent. But, Dumbledore had forbade him from speaking about the Azkaban escapee, further fouling his mood.

What bothered him the most throughout the year were all the snickers and jokes being thrown at him from behind his back, and in many cases right to his face.

Not only did he have to deal with Malfoy and his cronies, he had to deal with people from the other houses as well; including his own house. Groups of people from each house had been making fun of and harassing him all year for his 'fainting spell' on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione had been the only one to really stand up for him; not even Ron had said anything in his defense. Over the course of the year he had let it slide, telling himself that his red-headed best friend just didn't want to start any real fights. However, after the incident with Sirius and the swarm of dozens of Dementors towards the end of the school year, Harry and Hermione had overheard Ron talking with some of their other Gryffindor housemates.

"He was so terrified, I thought he was about to piss himself!" Ron had said with a laugh. "Sure, the Dementors were scary, but fainting? Seriously, what a pansy."

Both Harry and his bushy haired friend stood stock still in shock for a moment before Harry had turned on his heels and walked off. Hermione had tried to talk to him about it, but he just hadn't been in the mood at that moment.

After that, the two had started to avoid Ron, causing the red-head no small amount of annoyance. The night before they left the school to go home, Harry had been sitting in the common room and heard Hermione _try_ to explain to Ron why she and Harry had been ignoring him. Harry just couldn't fathom how Ron didn't seem to understand what he had done wrong. _Although, Ronald Weasley is by far the densest person I've ever met. Not even Dudley comes close_ , Harry mused.

After a talk between the three of them, though, Harry had decided to give the boy another chance. After all, Ron had been his best mate the previous two years, not to mention his first real friend in general. But, that didn't mean that he wasn't still hurt and irritated about Ron's comments.

Over the summer, he and Ron had sent each other a few letters and seemed to be mending the problems they had, to a point. Then, when their fourth year at Hogwarts started, they seemed to be fine. Although, Harry still tried to be a bit distant towards his best friend. After all, what Ron had said still hurt.

However, everything changed when the Tri-Wizard champions were selected. He had already been in a foul mood when he entered the common room, having been interrogated by the staff members, and belittled by the other champions. But, when he entered the common room, pretty much the entire Gryffindor house was there pointing hateful glares his way. The only people he noticed who weren't looking at him that way were the Quidditch team, Hermione, and Neville.

The arguments that followed with Ron and a number of his other housemates was the final straw. He and Ron would no longer be friends.

But, considering Harry was naturally a nice person, he had become civil with Ron towards the end of the year. Though, from Harry's perspective, it appeared that Ron thought they were back to how they had always been; best friends.

.

..

.

Now sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry found himself staring out the window. Shaking his thoughts away from the problems of the year, including the rise of Voldemort and Cedric's death, he idly listened to the chatter of the other occupants: Hermione, Neville, and Luna Lovegood. He had no problem with Neville; the shy boy hadn't caused him any trouble this year. Or any year for that matter. Plus, he couldn't really blame the Longbottom heir for not standing up for him. Neville was just too bashful and lacking in confidence. He also had no issues with Luna either, as she was just so nice, almost to a fault sometimes. She also got points in his book for being fun to be around.

After he and Hermione had started spending less time with Ron, they had found a good friend in Neville. And Luna, having already been friends with Neville, naturally started spending more time with them as a group. Harry smiled as he thought about this, just as he heard the door to the compartment slide open. But, he didn't have the motivation or desire to turn from the window and see who it was.

"There you two are, I've been looking everywhere for you! Why didn't you wait for me?" the familiar voice of the youngest male Weasley said with a tone of irritation. "Why are you with Neville and Looney?"

Still looking out the window, Harry felt his own irritation begin to rise. "Her name is Luna, Ron. Luna Lovegood. And they just so happen to be good company," he said, turning around just long enough to see Luna give him an appreciative nod. It should be obvious to anyone that a nickname like 'Looney' wasn't appreciated by the recipient. But, ever since Harry had begun spending time with the girl, he came to realize that the name bothered her much more than she let on.

Ron huffed and mumbled something under his breath. After a few seconds, he sat down and started talking about random nonsense, as if he didn't realize he had just irked everyone in the compartment. After a few minutes of his rambling, the boy got up with a sigh and said, "Well, I'm gonna go talk to Dean and Seamus."

 _He must have gotten bored since none of us were really talking to him_ , Harry thought.

"What a prat..." Hermione mumbled under her breath, but Harry heard it none the less. He agreed, but decided against saying anything, opting instead to just continue staring out the window.

He must have spaced out at some point, he realized, as the Hogwarts Express was now pulling up to the station. After he stood up and stretched, he pulled down his and Hermione's trunks.

"Well, I'll see you in a couple months," he said as Hermione pulled him into a tight hug, causing him to stiffen a bit.

"Yes. Promise me you'll send a few letters this time," Hermione said with a fake look of disappointment as she pulled back from the hug. Harry just nodded, earning a smile from his female best friend. "Good. Have a great summer, Harry."

"You too." Harry didn't think he was close enough yet to Neville or Luna to offer them a hug as well, so he settled on a firm handshake.

"Have a good summer, Harry. Feel free to Owl me too. It's just me and my Gran, so I'll be bored out of my mind," Neville said with a smile.

"Sure thing, Neville. Have a good summer. You too, Luna."

"Thank you, Harry. I would offer to exchange letters, but I'll be traveling with my father over the summer months. See you next year," the blonde girl said as the group left the compartment.

After exiting the train, Harry was making his way down the platform with Hedwig and his trunk in tow. As he was about to walk past one of the last train cars, he was surprised by a girl stumbling out of the doorway, almost bumping into him. The person whipped their head around and sent a cold glare back into the car.

"Tracy! What the hell was that for!?" she said to a second girl, who was just now making their way onto the platform in a much more elegant manner than the first person.

"You were going _way_ too slow, Daph. I want to see our parents!" Tracy Davis said with a bright smile, causing her companion to let out a tired sigh. At that moment, both girls seemed to notice Harry's presence considering they were now looking at him. Tracy had a look of mild surprise, while the other girl, Daphne Greengrass, had an almost impassive expression. Almost. It was clear to Harry that she was trying her best to not show any embarrassment after being seen coming out of the train in such an ungraceful manner.

"Potter," Daphne said in an aloof tone.

"Greengrass. Davis," he said in greeting, offering a nod of his head to both girls. He noticed both of them now had looks of confusion and surprise, Tracy more so, but he could still see the slight change in Daphne's expression. Regardless of how minor the change was. He decided against asking what was on their minds, as he wanted to get out of the station as soon as possible. It wasn't like he was in a hurry to get back to the Dursley's; far from it. But, he wanted to get away from the Wizarding World for a bit. Especially considering everything that had happened at Hogwarts during this past school year.

He made his way around them and continued towards the magical exit that would bring him to the Muggle part of the station. Thinking for a moment, neither of the Slytherin girls had ever caused him any problems. He knew both of them tended to hang around Pansy Parkinson and her 'gang' of Slytherin girls, but neither of them ever did or said anything to him or his friends. Not this year, and not during their previous three years. Turning his gaze over his shoulder, he said, "Have a good summer."

Before he turned his gaze back in front of him so he could pay attention to where he was going, he noticed their confused expressions intensify just a bit. Once again, Tracy's change being more noticeable than the eldest Greengrass girl's. He wasn't surprised, though, as he had never talked to either one of them during their four years attending Hogwarts together.

Once he was out in the Muggle part of the station, he couldn't shake the feeling of being followed. Trying his best to locate whoever it was that was tailing him, without being too obvious, he couldn't see anything or anyone that seemed out of the ordinary for a train station. Pushing the sensation to the back of his mind as he saw his Uncle Vernon waiting _very_ impatiently for him, Harry walked up to the whale of a man, mentally preparing himself to deal with his 'favorite' uncle.

"There you are, you little shit! I've been waiting far too long for the likes of you!" his uncle said, red faced with clear disdain in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Uncle," Harry said with a blank expression, not wanting to irritate the large man any further. Over the past few years, Harry had begun to realize that the less emotion he showed his relatives, the less his Uncle is likely to strike out at him. Last year, his homecoming consisted of one of the worst beatings he had ever received once the two got back to Privet Drive. All because he had simply chuckled at something someone in the station had said while he was walking out with his uncle.

Flinching as he remembered the pain of that night, he followed his Uncle to the car. Stowing his things in the boot of the new sedan, Harry got into the back seat. After all, the last time he had tried to sit in the front, his uncle had almost given him a concussion with the force of the smack Harry received to the back of his head.

The car ride home was unbearable, as always, seeing as there was not a single word spoken between the two. The tense silence just made the already long trip seem even longer. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Harry, they pulled into the driveway of the Dursley's home about an hour before dinner time.

"Get your freakish things out of my car and into your room! I don't want to see any of it even once while you're here. Do you understand me!?"

"Yes, Uncle," Harry said in an even tone as he began to do as he was told.

"As soon as you do that, get your ass in the kitchen and start dinner!" Uncle Vernon said as he waddled into the house. _He's probably just gonna sit in his recliner and watch some stupid TV show with Dudley to relax after his 'exhausting' day_ , Harry thought before he let out a long sigh. He wasn't even in the house yet, and he was already being ordered around like a mistreated house elf.

Making his way into his relatives house, he went upstairs and deposited his trunk in the small closet of his room. Placing Hedwig's cage on the small nightstand beside his bed, Harry stuck a finger in the cage, allowing his owl to affectionately nibble on it.

"It's good to be home, huh girl?" he said in a sarcastic tone. Sighing, he then made his way back downstairs, as ordered by Mr. Dursley.

As he crossed through the living room on his way to the kitchen, he couldn't help but smirk as he saw his uncle and cousin watching TV, looking like two heaping piles of lard. Shaking his head, he lost his smirk. He didn't want his uncle to see him showing amusement in something. Walking into the kitchen, he saw his Aunt doing some paperwork at the diner table. Accounting maybe, but Harry would never ask.

"Aunt Petunia, what would you like me to make for dinner?"

His aunt didn't even bother looking at him as she said, "Dudley wanted something with chicken. I took out a package of chicken breasts earlier to thaw. You figure out the rest," she finished in a snappy tone.

Considering he would really rather be in his room relaxing than cooking after just getting home, Harry decided to make a simple marinated chicken dish with rice and a salad on the side. Although, his Aunt Petunia would be the only one to even touch the salad, as his uncle and cousin would never even consider touching a vegetable. Harry himself was only ever allowed to eat the scraps left over from the meal.

After finding all the things he would need to cook dinner, he began getting everything ready. After a few minutes of prep work, he started cooking the rice, as that would take the longest. Next, he threw the chicken in the oven and started cutting up various vegetables for the salad. Once he had finished with the salad, and was waiting for the chicken to finish cooking, Harry started to think about Sirius.

He had tried his best not to think about his Godfather while he had still been at Hogwarts. With everything else that had been going on in his life, he didn't need the added stress and sadness that went along with thinking about his dad's best friend. Yes, he had been ecstatic to hear about the man's existence, and even more so when he finally got the chance to meet him. But, it hurt knowing that they couldn't spend time together. Couldn't get to know one another; considering Sirius' current situation.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The loud, incessant beeping coming from the smoke detector shook Harry from his thoughts. Whipping his head to the oven, he saw smoke streaming out of it. As fast as he could manage, he turned off the stove, opened the oven door and with a hand towel, pulled the baking pan out and threw it in the sink. He turned the faucet on to cool the burnt chicken and baking pan. He was just about to open a window to air out the room when he heard heavy, thunderous footsteps making their way toward him.

As he turned around, his face paled and he noticed everything as if it were in slow motion. His aunt standing at the dinner table with her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl plastered on her face. His cousin, standing in the doorway to the living room, a big smirk on his face; probably excited for what was about to come Harry's way. His uncle, red faced, trembling and furious, stalking towards him.

Harry put his hands up in a placating manner as he shook his head and stuttered, "U-Uncle-" but wasn't able to finish his desperate plea for mercy.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, BOY!" his uncle said in a rage induced shout, now just a few feet away. Harry saw the large, meaty fist being raised. He saw as it started coming his way. Before he could react, he felt a huge force make contact with the side of his head, breaking his glasses, which cut his face in a few spots, and causing him to fall to the ground.

"Get up, you ungrateful piece of trash!" Vernon said as he grabbed Harry be the hair and started pulling him out of the kitchen, his broken glasses left behind along with quite a bit of blood spatter.

"You think you can go off on your freakish adventures, then have me drive for hours just to bring you back here where no one even wants you? Then, you have the nerve to ruin dinner for the whole family! I'll teach you the respect you're lacking, and I'll force that freakishness out of you if it's the last thing I do!" the morbidly obese man said as he dragged Harry up the stairs and shoved him down onto the floor of his bedroom.

Vernon slammed the door shut and started trudging over to the prone form of Harry. "If it weren't for that old freak, Dumble-whatever, paying us to keep you around, I probably would have gotten rid of you by now!" he said as he started kicking and punching Harry with no remorse. At this point, his uncle wasn't saying anything at all. He seemed to be content with giving Harry a beating that made last years seem like a slap on the wrist.

All Harry could hear for the next thirty minutes were the heavy breathing and grunts of his uncle, the sounds of bones breaking and all the other noises that went along with the devastating beating he was getting. The only other sounds he heard were the angry and frantic hoots of his beloved snow owl. He wouldn't cry, though. No matter how much he wanted to in this moment. No matter how much pain he was in. Years ago, he had promised himself that he would never again give his _family_ the satisfaction of seeing tears in his eyes.

As Harry was kicked in the head with quite a bit of force, his vision began to lose focus. Finding it hard to breathe, and even more difficult to keep his now swollen eyes open, he felt himself starting to black out. The last thing he heard before he was rendered unconscious was a powerful, rage-filled shout: "STUPEFY!"

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 **And there's chapter one of my new story for you! I really hope you enjoyed it. If not, let me know why! Like I said in the beginning author's notes, don't expect a chapter every day from me as I like to take my time thinking things through and editing to the best of my ability. With that being said, even if you know what you're looking for, it's still easy to sometimes miss a spelling or grammatical error. So, if you happen to spot one, shoot me a PM and I'll fix it!**

 **Also, I rated this story as T so far. It will probably change in the future, but for now, I'll keep it at T. However, if any of you think this story should be rated M for the abuse scene, please let me know, and I'll change it immediately!**

 **Thanks for reading, and see you in the next installment of _Grey Skies Over the Horizon_!**

 **-Mystiirious**


	2. Visiting an Old Friend in Desperation

**Hi all! Here is chapter two of _Grey Skies_ for you. I finished it earlier than I had originally anticipated so please don't expect updates to be this fast in the future. As I've said, I'm aiming for a chapter every one or two weeks.**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for all of your favs and follows; I was pretty surprised when I saw it reach 100+ followers in such a short time. So, thanks again; it's very motivating for us writers to see such interest in our stories.  
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 **Now, I hope you enjoy reading this next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
**

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 **Grey Skies Over the Horizon**

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 **Visiting an Old Friend in Desperation**

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"Ella!" a man with shaggy hair and dirty, tattered clothing said in a panic as he rapped his knuckles on the door to a large manor house.

"Please. Please answer..." he mumbled as he continued to knock at a fast pace, his worry growing larger as every second ticked by. "Ella! Please, open the door!"

Only seconds later, he could hear the soft sound of footsteps making their way closer to the door, along with a delicate feminine voice. "For heaven's sake, I was just getting ready to go to bed."

As the door swung open, the man came face to face with a rather tall, gorgeous blonde woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties. He watched as the annoyed expression on her face morphed into a quizzical look, before changing into something more akin to nervousness. As the woman's eyes widened, she said in a shocked tone, "Sirius!?"

"Ella! Please, I need your help," Sirius Black said as he took a step to the side in order to show the woman what was hiding behind him. The widening of the woman's eyes even further was accompanied by a loud gasp. Levitating behind Sirius was the motionless body of a boy who looked like he had been brutally beaten to death, then revived, then beaten again with twice as much vigor.

"Oh Merlin! What in the world is going on here, Sirius!?" Ella said as she brought a hand to her mouth in shock and disgust.

"Please, Ella! There's no time to explain right now. Can you help him? Please?" Sirius might as well have been begging at this point as he grabbed the woman's hand, tears beginning to run down his gaunt face.

It didn't take long at all for the blonde woman to react. She shook her head a few times to clear her mind and said, "Quick, bring him inside! There's a guest bedroom just up the stairs and to the left. I need to get a few things, then I'll be right up to examine him!" she said in a hurry. Sirius noted that she was trying her best to remain composed, but, he also knew that she hadn't done anything like this in many years; and never on someone with injuries this severe. However, with his current situation, he really couldn't bring the boy anywhere else. At one point in time, both Ella and Sirius trusted each other with their lives, after all. He just hoped that she still had even a small fraction of the trust she used to have in him.

Once he arrived at the designated room, he pulled the covers off of the bed and threw them to the ground. As gentle as he could manage, he lay the battered boy down and proceeded to cancel his levitation charm.

"Come on, kid. You have to hang in there. I can't lose you; not after you just met me for the first time!" Sirius said in a tone filled with pain and fear.

It only took about a minute longer for Ella to bound into the room with a handful of potions and other items. She placed the items down on the nearby nightstand and moved to sit on a small stool she had placed next to the bed. Just as she handed him a folded wet hand towel, Sirius noticed two other women rush into the room. They both stopped just inside the bedroom and looked between him and Ella with a mix of curiosity and nervousness. Both were much younger than Ella, but seemed to share many of her features, including her blonde hair and icy blue eyes. _Her daughters?_ He asked himself.

"Mum? What's going on in here?" the older of the two girls asked in a worried tone. When she looked from her mother to Sirius, the man noticed her eyes go wide as she quickly took a step back. "That man is-"

"Sirius Black. Yes, I'm well aware," Ella said, not even glancing at her daughters while she ripped the boy's bloody shirt off and tossed it to the ground.

Sirius offered a small nod of recognition to the two girls before turning his attention back to the boy laying on the bed. He could hear the tentative footsteps of the young women coming closer just before he heard two shocked gasps.

"Mum! What-"

"Daphne, calm down! This isn't the time to be asking questions," Ella said, giving her daughter a quick and pointed look. "Either get over here and help, or get out. I can't have any distractions right now. Astoria, I'm sorry, but I don't want you to see any more of this. Please, go to your room for now."

Sirius watched as the younger of the two girls hesitated for a moment, a look of worry and fear adorning her face, just before she ran out of the room, shutting the door behind her. The older of the two, Daphne, walked closer to the bed. "What do you want me to do, Mum?" she said in a quiet, but determined voice.

"Grab a wet hand towel from the nightstand and help Sirius clean the blood and dirt from the boy's skin."

"Okay," the girl said as she nodded and proceeded to do just that.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to use a spell to clean him up?" Sirius said, but began cleaning the boy's blood stained skin anyway.

"Didn't I just say this isn't the time for questions," Ella said in an irritated tone as she continued to examine the boy. "But, no, we can't do that. I fear that he may be too injured at the moment. I can use healing spells on him, but that's about it. Any other kind of magic might make his condition deteriorate further."

Both Sirius and Daphne nodded in silent understanding as they wiped both dry and wet blood alike from the boy's now pale skin.

Daphne was being as careful and gentle as possible as she wiped blood and dirt from the boy's swollen face, until she wiped at his forehead and jumped back with a gasp. Sirius looked at her and, following her gaze, frowned as he saw the signature lightning bolt scar now visible on the boy's forehead. "Is this..." Daphne began, but was unable to finish her question due to the shock she had just received.

"Harry Potter," Sirius said in almost a whisper.

"What!" Ella said, her head turning to look at Sirius so fast he thought she might feel it in her neck the next day.

"Yes. I'm his Godfather; but that's not important right now," Sirius said in a pained tone.

"What happened to him? Why is he in such a terrible state?" Daphne said with an edge to her voice, as if she were demanding an answer from the much older man.

"This isn't the time, dear!" Ella scolded her daughter before turning to Sirius with a hardened expression. "I'll be honest, Sirius," she said as she turned back to continue examining the unconscious boy. "I don't think I'm anywhere near qualified for something like this. When I was working as an assistant healer, I only ever fixed small bone fractures and minor flesh wounds. Never anything on this scale," she said in a somber tone.

"I know, Ella. But you were the only person I trusted enough to bring him to," Sirius said, a hint of desperation lacing his otherwise gentle voice.

Ella sighed and shook her head. "Sirius... Both of his arms are broken in multiple places. His left femur has a severe fracture. He has a broken nose and both of his eye sockets are fractured. His jaw is broken in three places. Multiple ribs are broken, and even more are fractured. His spleen is ruptured and his liver and kidneys have both received quite a bit of damage. He has a severe concussion and very severe internal bleeding, especially in his abdomen. Plus, as you can see, he has numerous open wounds and lacerations that are bleeding quite profusely."

Sirius knew his Godson was in a bad state, but not this bad. He looked from the dejected looking Ella, to the shocked and almost terrified looking Daphne. As his gaze rested on the younger woman for a few moments, he noticed that her eyes were beginning to shimmer a bit. But, it wasn't the time to ponder on the significance of something like that.

"Can't you-"

"Sirius..." Ella interrupted in a quiet voice just above a whisper. "Harry Potter shouldn't even be alive right now. Far from it. I honestly have no idea how he's holding on with injuries like these," she said, prompting a gasp from the younger woman in the room.

"Mum, you have to at least try!" Daphne said, grabbing her mother's shoulders. Sirius noticed Ella's eyes go wide as she looked at her daughter as if seeing something spectacular for the very first time. In the very next moment, though, the older of the two women shook her head with a deep frown marring her lips.

"Even if I did try, I fear that I might just make his condition worse. Healing spells are much more precise than most other spells. Like I said before, non healing spells will almost certainly make a patient's condition worsen when they are already in such a serious state. But, if someone without the necessary skill is treating a patient, their healing spells may have the same outcome as if they were using any other spell. And like I said, I'm not qualified for these kinds of injuries."

"But-"

"Daphne!" Ella said in a raised voice, earning a flinch from her eldest daughter.

After a brief moment of silence, Sirius said with a hoarseness noticeable in his voice, "Ella. There has to be something you can do."

Ella took a deep breath and stared at Sirius for a second before turning back to Harry. "I'll try my best," she said in a whisper. "But, please. Don't hate me if I fail."

"I could never hate you, Ella," Sirius said in a soft voice. The man looked to Daphne for a moment when he noticed her stiffen a bit out of the corner of his eye. She had a confused look plastered on her face as she glanced between him and her mother. Deciding that now was certainly not the time to explain how he and her mother knew each other, he returned his gaze back to Ella. Taking the older blonde's hand in his own, he said in a tone of pleading, "Just, please. Try your best, Ella."

The woman nodded and closed her eyes in order to concentrate on what she had to do. As she started to move her wand over the unconscious body of Harry, she also began to chant something under her breath. After a few minutes of this, the boy began to writhe in pain, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Mum!" Daphne said in a voice filled with fright. Sirius saw the concerned and pained look in her eyes, likely from not being able to do anything useful in this type of situation, much like himself.

Just then, Ella stopped what she was doing and Harry's unconscious body immediately began to relax. She looked to Sirius with an apologetic, regretful expression. "I'm sorry, Sirius. If I continue, it will most certainly kill him," she said, lowering her gaze to her lap.

"But if you don't do anything, he'll die for sure!" Daphne almost screamed.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Sirius. There isn't anything more I can do for this boy," Ella said, ignoring her daughter's outburst in favor of consoling Harry's Godfather.

However, just as both Daphne and Sirius were about to encourage her to continue trying, Ella's eyes went wide and she jumped up from her seat. "There might be someone who can help! Stay here and finish cleaning him off! I have a call to make."

"You're having someone else come!? I'll be turned in for-" Sirius began, but stopped mid sentence. He shook his head and offered a sad, painful smile. "No. Harry is much more important to me than my freedom. Just, do whatever you need to, Ella."

Ella gave a quick nod and dashed out of the room. As Sirius stared down at his Godson, he couldn't stop a tear from flowing down his cheek. He noticed that Daphne was also staring at Harry with an odd look of anger mixed with worry. At the same time, though, she seemed to be a bit on edge; likely due to her close proximity to a _known_ serial murderer. Even if Harry had told people of Pettigrew's betrayal of James and Lily Potter, Sirius knew that no one would believe him, a fourteen year old boy. So, it was no surprise to him that Daphne would feel at least a bit uncomfortable in his presence; especially since it was now just the two of them in the room. Not including Harry, of course.

Sirius had a rather strong suspicion that _someone_ had told his Godson not to mention the information about Pettirgrew to anyone, though, so it's not like the young Hogwart's student sitting on the opposite side of the bed had any reason to believe that he _wasn't_ the betrayer and murderer he was made out to be. Realizing that his thoughts were beginning to drift away from what was important right now, he shook his head to regain his focus.

"We should do as your mother instructed," he said as he began to once again wipe the dirt and blood from his Godson's torso. Daphne hesitated for a moment, but moved to continue cleaning the boy's face and neck without saying a word.

After a few moments of silence between the two conscious occupants of the room, Sirius heard a throat being cleared.

"How do you know my mother?" Daphne said in a very quiet voice. As Sirius looked up from Harry to see her, she was still looking down to the boy's face as she almost obsessively scrubbed away any blood and dirt she could find.

"I don't believe this is the time or place to talk about that," Sirius said in a gentle tone as he continued to do his portion of the work.

"There's nothing else we can do but clean him until my mother comes back," she said, pausing for a moment. "Could you tell me just the short version of the story?"

Sirius thought about it for a moment before sighing. It was true that they had time until Ella came back with whoever it was she had rushed off to contact. "I suppose that would be fine," he said as he shifted in his seat a bit. "You're mother and I used to be very good friends; best friends in fact. We're actually distant relatives; her father being a a member of the House of Black. We share the same great-great-grandparents, so I believe she's my third cousin. But, I was never good at that family lineage stuff, so who knows? Anyway, our friendship came to an end when I ran away from home and was disowned from the Black family. You're mother's father was a petty, jealous, and vile old man, and he forbade your mother from even talking to me from that point on," he said with clear sadness in his tone. "Of course there's more to it, but that's the jist of it, at least."

Daphne nodded in understanding. "I don't remember either of my grandfather's, but my mother always told me that _her_ father wasn't a very pleasant man."

Sirius chuckled at this. "Unpleasant is quite the understatement, in my opinion."

"What happened to him?"

"I believe he died of old age, but I'm not entirely sure. I've been out of the loop for quite a while, after all," he said with a tired voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't talking about my grandfather," Daphne said as she motioned towards Harry.

"Ah. That I can't tell you; not until I know he'll be okay. And even then, it'll be up to him to talk about what happened," Sirius said with a very grim expression. Daphne must have notice his mood take a downward turn, as she didn't say anything else after that.

At least for a few minutes. "So, I take it you didn't do those horrible things everyone says you did?"

Surprised for a moment, Sirius offered her a small smile. "What makes you think that?"

"If you had been working under You-know-who, my mother would have sent you away at the door, even if you used to be best friends. She must believe you're innocent if she's allowing you to be in the same house as me and my sister."

Sirius let out a dark chuckle at this. But, he also wondered why she had been on edge a few minutes ago if she assumed him to be innocent. _Not the time_ , he had to remind himself. "Well, it's good to know someone other than Harry has faith in me. But, no. I didn't do any of those things. I would rather kill myself," he said in a serious tone towards the end.

Daphne simply nodded as they descended into silence once more.

It wasn't long after that when Ella came rushing back into the room, followed by a familiar face to both Sirius and Daphne. "Sorry it took so long!" Daphne's mother said as she ushered her guest to the seat she had been occupying before she ran off.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Daphne said with a hint of surprise.

"We'll have to save the pleasantries for later, Miss Greengrass," the Hogwart's matron said as she rushed to the side of the bed. She immediately began to examine Harry, her facial expression turning darker every second. "You were very right in your assumption, Ella. Mr. Potter here should most certainly be dead. But, as we can all see, he is in fact still breathing."

"Is there anything that can be done?" Sirius asked, his sense of urgency and panic returning once again.

Madam Pomfrey hesitated for a moment before she said, "Yes, there is. But it won't be pleasant for him; not in the slightest."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for the second chapter!**

 **Even though there isn't any description of what Daphne looks like in the books, I decided to go with the common blonde hair and blue eyes, as that's what I think of when I imagine her (probably because the first few fics I read with Daphne described her as such). Also, yes, I may have gone a bit overboard with Harry's extensive list of injuries. But for one, I imagine a scrawny 14 year old being beaten by a 250+ pound man for half an hour wouldn't be in the best of health. And two, it's fanfiction; I can do what I want.**

 **I want to throw a big shout out to _Zaxarus_ and his amazing story _Second Chances_. He gave me the idea for Mrs. Greengrass' inclination towards the healing arts. If you haven't read his story, I highly recommend it, as well as the two sequels to it. Thanks for the ideas and permission, Zaxarus!**

 **This chapter is about the same length as the first one. The next chapter will likely be the same: ~3,500 words. However, from chapter 4 and forward, I'll be writing at least 5k word chapters. With that being said, I'll throw a poll up on my profile page concerning chapter length: would you prefer 5k, 7.5k, or 10k word chapters? If you want to give your opinion on this, please don't respond to it in the reviews, that's what the poll is for.**

 **Just so you all know, if you're interested, this story will be written, for the most part, in the Third Person Limited point of view. The first chapter was Third Person, but with Harry as the limiting character. This chapter was focused on Sirius, as will the next chapter. Other than that, the rest of the story will probably be Third Person Limited with Harry being the focus (I might throw in a chapter or two with Daphne being the focus, but I'm not sure yet). Please note that I usually write in the Third Person Omniscient point of view, so that might show it's head from time to time. Sorry in advance for any confusion it causes.  
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 **Thanks again for all the favs and follows! And, hopefully you'll come back for the next chapter within the next two weeks.**

 **See you then!**

 **-Mystiirious**


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